Cold Heart
by eirene-danae
Summary: Everybody wonders how is it possible for Guy and Tora to be together. Even Guy starts to, but is soon reassured... Sweet Guy/Tora fluff!


**Cold Heart**

**Author's Notes/Warnings:** Just mushy stuff I wrote when I first got into the whole Tora-and-Guy-are-the-cutest-couple-ever thing.

_"I just zapped 'im with my power ring-which by the way, is fueled with will power-which by the way, means I've got a real strong mind-which by the way, proves I'm not just the muscle-bound clod you think I am!" - _And that's why I love Guy Gardner, everybody.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, obviously. DC's.

* * *

Guy Gardner's horrible character and behavior was no mystery for anyone. He was a jerk, an arrogant, egocentric, megalomaniac being and he was sickenly proud of it. Day and night he boasted about how vitally important his presence in the Justice League was and how no one could ever compete against his unfathomable powers. He was obnoxious and disrespectful with female colleagues and there was not a single member of the JL who wouldn't have wanted to see him being kicked out.

Still, even such an awful person had succeeded in finding someone who might have, if not radically changed him, at least partially bettered him. When Guy was with Tora, anyone could distinctly notice an alteration in the man's personality, inversely similar to Dr Jekyll's with Mr Hyde.

Even now, as snowflakes danced in the air, the two of them were leaning against the fence that was running all around the pond in the park, semi-embraced, and surely a causal passer-by would have taken them for a normal couple, enjoying a romantic day out at the beginning of February.

But Guy Gardner felt anything but normal.

Delusions of grandeur aside, a disquieting feeling had pervaded him in the last few days, as he witnessed mushy decorations being pretentiously exposed in shops' windows, fathoming the coming of a holiday whose origins were remembered only by very few people nowadays. To see hearts and red ribbons and chocolates and flowers, had brought the Lantern (who despite appearances was no stupid) to ask himself that same question that pretty much everyone who knew both him and Ice had asked themselves when they came to know about the relationship between the two.

"How the hell did I end up with you." The words escaped his lips before he could even rephrase the thought that was buzzing in his skull. They came out half-muttered, but he was sure that Tora had heard them and bit his tongue.

He turned to look at her, to apologize, to ask to express himself differently, because, of course that wasn't what he meant, damn straight it wasn't. But Tora was quicker and answered him in kind, catching him unprepared.

"You know, that's something I ask myself too, sometimes." She was dead serious and her icy eyes were looking at him without letting out any emotion. "You have very few redeeming qualities concerning your behavior in interpersonal relations."

Guy was mortified and resigned. He gazed ahead of him, toward the snowy treetops on the other shore of the pond, telling himself that, well, after all he had a good run with her in these months, and he kinda already knew this moment would come, because, geez just look at him! And it was definitely not the first time a woman dumped him on his ass. But then again, when that happened, he was usually able to return the punch and send her straight to hell without a flinch.

Not this time though. This time it was different, he couldn't bring himself to do it, he could never even think of telling such things to Tora, he would never want to hurt her—

A small gloved hand cupped his cheek and made him turn towards her. Guy was expecting anything, but to see her smile and the ice in her eyes melt.

"But you also have this," and she pressed a finger firmly against the left side of his chest. "And when I'm with you I can see inside of it, I can see who you really are and that's how I can endure every single little flaw of you. I don't care if you act like a rude jackass when we're with our friends, even though I'd prefer that you stopped greeting Bea with "Hi, slut." I don't care until I can look inside of here and find a man who's basically good, who knows what's the right thing to do. The man who spent the whole of last Sunday helping a little kid find his lost puppy. The man I fell in love with and who, I can see it, loves me just as much as I love him." She shrugged and simply added, "I know you're the right person for me, Guy."

Guy could hardly believe what he was hearing. For a second he gaped at her, bewildered, then he put his hands on both sides of her face and kissed her fiercely. With that kiss he conveyed the terror of losing her he felt one moment before, the sheer joy of having her beside him anyway and probably any other feelings that was running in his brain that instant and that he would have never been able to express through words.

When they parted, both smiling and slightly flustered, Guy encircled her shoulders with his arm.

"Gee whiz, sweetcakes, you sure know how to almost give one man a heart attack. But don't ya go and pull that hippie crap of soul-mates and all those baloney on me anymore. A man can take it just to a limit, ya know."


End file.
